Visual aid for trailer hitch

ABSTRACT

An automotive accessory to assist a driver to accurately back a towing vehicle to align the vehicle-mounted hitch component with the trailer-mounted hitch component when the hitch cannot be seen by the driver wherein an upright rod having a ring-like indicator rotates to indicate fore and aft alignment and a comparison of the relative positions of the vehicle mounted indicator and a trailer-mounted indicator reveals the lateral alignments. The trailer mounted indicator is adjustably mounted to compensate for longitudinal angularity of the vehicle and trailer.

3 3 6 StARCH ROC United States Patent [is] 3,702,029

Anderson, Jr. 1 Nov. 7, 1972 [s41 VISUAL AID FOR TRAILER HITCH [72]Inventor: Harold D. Anderson, Jr., Oakesdale,

wash Attorney-Norman H. Huff [22] Filed: Jan. 28, 1971 v [57] ABSTRACT[21] App]. No.: 110,716 An automotive accessory to assist a driver toaccurately back a towing vehicle to align the vehicle-mounted hitchcomponent with the trailer-mounted hitch com- (gl. 73% ponem when thehitch cannot be Seen by the driver wherein an p g rod having a ringmwindicator [58] Field of Search ..33/46 AS, 116/28 R rotates to indicatefore and aft alignment and a com parison of the relative positions ofthe vehicle [56] Rem-mus Cited mounted indicator and a trailer-mountedindicator UNITED STATES PATENTS reveals the lateral alignments. Thetrailer mounted indicator is adjustably mounted to compensate for lon-2,984,01l 5/1961 Hamiton ..33/46 AS l l f h I d '1 3,159,917 12/1964Whitehead ..33/46 AS 9 angu my 0 t e 6 3,363,318 l/l968 Folkins et al...33/46 AS 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures P'ATEmEmnv- H912 3,702,029 sum 1BF 2 INVENTOR.

VISUAL AID FOR TRAILER HITCH My present invention relates generally toautomotive accessories and more particularly to a device that may beremovably mounted on a vehicle and trailer to visually indicate to thedriver of the vehicle when the interlocking portions of the trailerhitch are in vertical alignment and may be engaged.

An object of the present invention is to provide visual guide means bywhich a driver of a vehicle may back or otherwise maneuver the vehicleinto a position where the automotive-supported portion of the hitch isplaced in vertical alignment with the trailer-supported hitch portion,with the latter hitch portion being lowerable to receive thevehicle-supported portion of the hitch, which operation can be carriedout without the instruction of a second person standing outside thevehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a visual guide for atrailer hitch, the first portion of which may be removably mounted onthe rear portion of a vehicle without in any way defacing or damagingthe surface thereof, with the second hitch section being adapted to beremovably mounted relative to the hitch portion of a trailer whenneeded, and when not in use stored in either the trailer or theautomotive vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to supply means which not onlyindicate when the engaging portion of a trailer hitch is in verticalalignment with the engageable means on an automotive vehicle, but whichalso indicate that the engaging means on the trailer is at a sufficientelevation relative to the engageable means on the vehicle to permit theengagement thereof.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a manually adjustablemounting for the trailer-hitch-related indicator which by manipulationmay be disposed in a vertical plane common to the two hitch componentsand the drivers eye even though the longitudinal median of the vehiclemay be slightly angular with respect to the longitudinal median of thetrailer.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my automotive accessory related to avehicle hitch ball and trailer socket shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is a vertical side elevation of the vehicle-attached portionsviewed from the right of FIG. 1 and showing the support means insection;

FIG. 3 is a vertical lateral sectionupon an enlarged scale showing thevehicle-portion attaching clamp;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical fragmentary elevation of thevehicle-portion rod and support having parts broken away and sectionedfor convenience of illustration; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical lateral section of the trailer-portion attachingmeans.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeralsand 12 indicate the two component parts of a conventional ball andsocket trailer hitch and by inference their respective vehicle andtrailer, (not shown).

Customarily, the ball component of the hitch is associated with thetowing vehicle, and the socket component of the hitch is secured to thetongue of the trailer. Obviously, they could be reversed if desired. Tosimplify an understanding of the invention, it is shown and described inthe customary setting with the ease of reversal in mind but nothereinafter restated.

The ball 10 is shown as the vehicle hitch component and includes anannular base flange 11 which is supported by a vehicle supported bar 13bored to receive attaching bolt 14 secured by the usual lock washer andnut combination 15.

The means 16 for supporting the upright shaft 17 comprises a U-shapefixed yoke 18 which is adapted to straddle the flange 11 and besupported by the bar 13. At the bight of the yoke 18 a shaped framemember 19 is welded and extends vertically for a few inches and then isbent to project laterally at an incline and terminate upwardly andoutwardly in substantially an open ended box having a top wall 20 and avertical wall 21. An adjustable yoke 22 is releasably fixed at adjustedpositions along the vertical portion of the frame member 19 by means ofconventional bolt and nut combination 23 which releasably clamp avertical car 24 of the yoke 22 to said frame member with the yokes inspaced parallelism. It is thus demonstrated how the means 16 isreleasably attached for quick and easy use and variable to fit balls ofdiffering dimensions within the limits of the physical abilities of theclamp.

Top wall 20 is drilled to form a cylindrical aperture 25 adapted to forma sleeve bearing for the upright shaft 17. The drill is permitted toform a socket 26 in the frame member 19 to receive the lower end portionof the shaft 17 and function as an end-supporting thrust bearingtherefor.

Shaft 17 extends upwardly at a slight angle from vertical so that whenthe yokes 18 and 22 are frictionally engaged with the ball 10, as seenin FIG. 3, the ring-like indicator 30 is disposed substantially invertical elignment with the ball 10.

Intermediate its length, near its lower end, I provide a bell crankconfiguration 27 in the shaft 17 which presents an axially offset throw28 by means of which the shaft may be axially rotated by a substantiallyhorizontal force. To impart this movement, 1 provide a lever 29joumalled in a bore 31 in the vertical wall 21 and having a laterallyextending horizontal bight 32 which engages around or entwines with thecrank 27 so that as the lever is tilted in its substantially verticalplane it effects rotation of the shaft 17. At its free end the lever hasa pressure bar 33 extending horizontally in a direction to strike and bemoved by a member fixed with respect to the trailer hitch component.

In FIG. 5 I have shown the trailer-hitch portion of my visual indicatoras comprising an upright rod 40 at the upper end of which is acylindrical indicator 41 having an annular groove 42 or other visibleprocess midway its length. At its lower end the rod 40 has a ball 43yieldably held between a fixed and a moveable clamping lip 44 and 45tensioned by a bolt 46. The force is sufficient to hold the ball againstrelative movement in the clamp but yieldable to intentional manualforce. This allows for the rod to be adjusted to re-position thecylindrical indicator 41 when required as hereinafter disclosed.

The lip 44 is an integral portion of a base member 47 having a lowerright angle lip 48 parallel with lip 44 and an intermediate clamping lip49 adjustably secured relative thereto by bolt 50.

Lips 48 and 49 removably fix the base member 47 with respect to thetrailer hitch component 12 and the lengths of the shaft 17 and rod 40are such as to indicate the hitch components are at exactly the correctrelative vertical positions for hitching when the groove 42 bisects theannular opening of the ring 30 as seen from the drivers position.

When the center of the ring 30 as seen by the driver falls on the axisof the cylinder 41, the ball and socket 12 both lie in the median orlongitudinal vertical plane of the towing vehicle. The length of lever29 and the position of bar 33 are such as to rotate the ring as the bar33 moves by reaction pressure when against rod 40 and so that the planeof the ring'30 is transverse of the axis of the vehicle when the balland socket fore and aft relationship is correct.

Since it is not always possible to longitudinally align the vehicle andtrailer it becomes necessary to back the vehicle at an angle, in thiscase as they come together, i

the cylinder may be adjusted into the longitudinal vertical planecoincident to the indicator 30 and the hitch components 10 and 12 andconnection may be effected even from an angle.

Spring 34 may be utilized when desired but is normally unnecessary sincethe angle of bore 31 and configuration of lever 29 can be such thatgravity tends to keep the lever in the full line position of FIG. 2. Thedotted position of FIG. 2 rotates the indicator 30 to show the properhitch alignment.

Having thus described my invention I desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States the following:

l. A visual indicator for assisting the driver of a towing vehicle,having one component of a hitch means at its rear end and out of sightof the driver to maneuver the vehicle toward a trailer, having anothercomponent of the hitch means, to vertically align said components, saidindicator comprising:

an upright shaft;

means supporting said shaft for rotation about its axis;

the upper end of said shaft having a first indicator movable by reasonof rotational movements of said shaft and disposed vertically alignedabove the hitch component of said towing vehicle and within the range ofsight of its driver;

an actuating lever operable to rotate said shaft upon being movedforwardly of said vehicle;

an upright rod;

means supporting said rod with respect to the hitch component of saidtrailer;

a second indicator carried by said rod at its upper end and within therange of sight of the vehicle driver and disposed to be substantiallylevel with the first indicator when the hitch components are at relativeheights as required for hitching and in the drivers line of sight in avertical plane through said first indicator when the hitch componentsare both in the vertical median plane of the towing vehicle, and

means on said lever engageable by said rod to rotate said shaft anddispose said first indicator in a predetermined azimuthal aspect whensaid hitch components are in the same vertical transverse plane of saidtowing vehicle.

2. The indicator as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the first-named means is secured relative to the vehicle hitch componentby a frictional clamping means for uick and eas disconnection.

3. The indica or as define in claim 2 wherein:

the means supporting said rod comprises a ball and socket connection atthe lower end of said rod.

4. The indicator as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the means supporting said rod comprises a ball and socket connection atthe lower end of said rod.

5. The indicator as defined in claim 4 wherein:

the first-named means is secured relative to the vehicle hitch componentby a frictional clamping means for quick and easy disconnection.

6. The indicator as defined in claim 5 wherein:

said means supporting said rod further comprises:

a releasable clamp for quickly and easily removing said means fromattachment with respect to the trailer hitch component.

1. A visual indicator for assisting the driver of a towing vehicle,having one component of a hitch means at its rear end and out of sightof the driver to maneuver the vehicle toward a trailer, having anothercomponent of the hitch means, to vertically align said components, saidindicator comprising: an upright shaft; means supporting said shaft forrotation about its axis; the upper end of said shaft having a firstindicator movable by reason of rotational movements of said shaft anddisposed vertically aligned above the hitch component of said towingvehicle and within the range of sight of its driver; an actuating leveroperable to rotate said shaft upon being moved forwardly of saidvehicle; an upright rod; means supporting said rod with respect to thehitch component of said trailer; a second indicator carried by said rodat its upper end and within the range of sight of the vehicle driver anddisposed to be substantially level with the first indicator when thehitch components are at relative heights as required for hitching and inthe driver''s line of sight in a vertical plane through said firstindicator when the hitch components are both in the vertical medianplane of the towing vehicle, and means on said lever engageable by saidrod to rotate said shaft and dispose said first indicator in apredetermined azimuthal aspect when said hitch components are in thesame vertical transverse plane of said towing vehicle.
 2. The indicatoras defined in claim 1 wherein: the first-named means is secured relativeto the vehicle hitch component by a frictional clamping means for quickand easy disconnection.
 3. The indicator as defined in claim 2 wherein:the means supporting said rod comprises a ball and socket connection atthe lower end of said rod.
 4. The indicator as defined in claim 1wherein: the means supporting said rod comprises a ball and socketconnection at the lower end of said rod.
 5. The indicator as defined inclaim 4 wherein: the first-named means is secured relative to thevehicle hitch component by a frictional clamping means for quick andeasy disconnection.
 6. The indicator as defined in claim 5 wherein: saidmeans supporting said rod further comprises: a releasable clamp forquickly and easily removing said means from attachment with respect tothe trailer hitch component.